The past four or so months have flown by in a whirlwind of change, chance happenings, and surprises. I'm certainly not complaining, but the pace and the depth of what's been happening has me often saying, " Ijust need a minute." A minute for what, you might ask. A minute to slow down, to take it all in, to appreciate it before the next thing comes.
Now I find myself being forced to take a minute because I've got a cold. Yep, if you don't listen to the small whispers to slow down, eventually you get the body yelling at you in the form of, in my case, a cold. I decided to finally take some of those minutes today and my yoga practice consisted of two poses: Supported Halasana and Chair Savasana.
I can't remember the last time I used a chair in my yoga practice, but today I was feeling the need for a little support. I have the funny little habit of doing everything myself and not asking for help, so I thought it would be nice to honor all of the change in my life with a little change of my own -- I opted for support. Granted, it's in the form of a chair, but it's a change nonetheless.
Here was my practice for the day:
Supported Halasana: I piled some blankets next to a chair on my yoga mat for cushioning. I then laid back on the blankets with my head on the floor under the chair. I raised muy legs and brought them back towards the chair, letting my thighs rest along the seat of the chair. I raised my arms overhead on the floor and rested in this position for about 5 minutes.
Chair Savasana: I laid on my back on my yoga mat, arms down by my sides, the chair at my feet. I lifted my legs and rested my calves on the seat of the chair, leaving my knees bent, lets at a 45 degree angle. I rested in this position for 10-15 minutes.
Okay, so I took more than a minute on my mat. It felt damned good. It was my chance to stop thinking about all that I need to do and all of the changes that I'm currently faced with and rest in the moment. After all, the changes aren't happening this minute and the things I need to do will all get done -- but not in the current moment.
Author Susan Susanka or The Not So Big Life fame offers up a wonderful practice to get you into the present moment, along with a recommendation for a little tool that can help you. Click here to learn more about Susan's Your Turn exercise from her book, The Not So Big Life. I'm inclined to agree with Susan that a daily practice of pause and reflection can keep the overwhelms (and possibly colds) away.
Are you taking the time you need or do you wait until you are forced to slow down? Would you willingly replace your usual yoga practice with a brief restorative practice to give yourself time to rest, even if you feel like you don't need it?
Well, I'm off to rest a bit more. My body has made it clear that it wants me to slow down and I'm going to listen.
Namaste!